5 Biggest Takeaways from Chicago Bulls' 1st Half of the Season
The Chicago Bull’s 2014-15 season has been full of ups and downs, which have produced some positive and negative observations at this checkpoint.
This club currently has a three-and-a-half game lead in the Central Division and is sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings. That is a big improvement over the barely .500 basketball that was the norm over the prior two seasons.
Of course, circumstances are very different.
Derrick Rose appears to be back at optimal health. The acquisition of Pau Gasol has been more of a boon than anyone could have expected. Jimmy Butler has blown away all spectators with his breakout performance so far.
When considered collectively, it would seem like Chicago should be doing a lot better than 29-17, but it wouldn’t be Bulls basketball without some disruption. At multiple points in this season there have been injury issues that have interfered with the congealing process of this mostly new roster.
While it seems like some basketball fans are underwhelmed with the current basketball product coming out of the Windy City, head coach Tom Thibodeau is impressed with the overall performance. Quoted in a January 21 article by K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, the fifth-year strategist knows his guys have persevered through some challenges. “Quite frankly, I’m surprised we’re where we are with the amount of games that have been missed and practices that have been missed…This is why I have great respect for our guys. They’ve done this year after year.”
It’s a good thing to have 12 more wins than losses and still be in a space of figuring things out. The Bulls’ ups and downs have presented a lot of things to ponder going forward, both positive and negative.
Note: All statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise cited and are current as of January 25, 2015.
Scoring Improvement Is Legit
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Since Thibodeau became the head coach back in 2010, the Bulls have never been characterized as a team who could light up a scoreboard.
Prior to this current campaign, the highest scoring average his squad ever posted was 98.6 points per game in his inaugural season. However, that was only good enough to finish 20th. The team did manage to post the fifth-best offensive rating during the abbreviated 2011-12 season but registered a lower point output of 96.3.
Currently, the Bulls are a top-10 club in both points scored (101.8) and offensive rating (105.6). The team’s balance is so much better than it has been in prior years.
While a lot of people raved about the 2013-14 Bulls having six players who averaged double-digit scoring figures, no one scored over 15 points per game, and they didn’t have much else for offensive production outside of that grouping. After Kirk Hinrich’s nine-point contribution, the next-highest scorer was Tony Snell and his 4.5 point average.
This season’s enclave has five players posting more than 10 points each contest. Gasol and Rose put in 18 a night, and Butler is averaging almost 21 points himself. After that, Hinrich, Mike Dunleavy and Nikola Mirotic chip in at least seven points each.
The Bulls have more options on offense and are utilizing them very effectively. They are definitely erasing the pigeonholing of Thibodeau as a deficient scoring schemer.
Despite Personnel Issues, Defensive Struggles Are Still Concerning
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While the scoring boom has provided some entertaining exhibitions, defense has always been the anchor to the Bulls’ success, hence the higher listing. In reality, the team’s defense is not actually bad; it’s just not as dominant as many have grown accustomed to seeing.
Chicago is a middle-of-the-pack defensive team—14th in opponents points allowed with 99.2 and 12th in defensive rating at 102.5. During all of the previous Thibodeau-led seasons, this squad has never been lower than third in points allowed and sixth in defensive rating.
A slight uptick in the amount of points from another team shouldn’t be that surprising since the Bulls' offense is doing more, but they have already given up 100-plus points in more games this season than they did during the entire 2013-14 run.
There have been many reasons cited by both players and coaches as to what the cause is. Diagnosing the problem is a big part of the repair process, but coming up with a solution is the most crucial element.
This is not the same anemic Eastern Conference that existed during the years of the star-studded Miami Heat squad. The bottom-four playoff teams might not pose much of a threat in a first-round playoff matchup, but fighting with the likes of the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards or Toronto Raptors in the conference semis and finals make for a difficult path to an NBA championship.
After a January 17 loss to the Hawks, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com quoted Butler expressing action speaks louder than words when it comes to righting the team’s defense. “Everybody's saying we know what we have to do, but we can't keep talking about it…At some point in time we got to actually go out there and get it done.”
Sure, this club is once again dealing with a litany of nagging injuries to multiple players and minute restrictions, but adversity never seemed to affect this team like it has this season. The Bulls have always found a way to overcome. Here’s to hoping their resilience comes through again.
There Are Several Contenders for Multiple Awards
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The ability to score is up, and defensive aptitude is down. Still, the campaign has been an overall success and has produced a few players who could contend for some end-of-season awards.
Mirotic is in contention to win the Rookie of the Year prize. He’s played in every game this season and is ranked in the top 10 in points scored, total rebounds and three-point percentage. Stretch that over a per-36 minute model for rookies who have played in at least 30 games, and he goes to second in scoring and third in rebounds.
The young Montenegrin has contributed some quality minutes to this team, and it would not be surprising to see him finish strong in the voting for the best first-year player.
Butler is a heavy favorite for the Most Improved Player accolade. He has increased his output substantially in points and field-goal percentage and gone up in several other key categories. It would be a hard task making a case for anyone else to get this nod over him. In fact, Butler could also register some attention for Most Valuable Player award as well.
Gasol is another player who could finish with some MVP consideration. He is one of two players in the league who is averaging at least 18 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks per game; the other is Anthony Davis. Take away the shot-swat requirement, and the grouping adds only one other player: LaMarcus Aldridge.
Gasol has impressively remained constant, even with the gradual reemergence of Rose and the team’s up-and-down play. That kind performance will not go unnoticed.
Home Record Is Upsetting, but There Is a Silver Lining
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Chicago’s barely average home record is very surprising. A team that is scoring so well and has numerous players performing at a high level should not be struggling to win in their own building. Here are the United Center numbers from the last four seasons:
Failing to dominate in the previous two seasons is understandable since the team was playing without Rose. The difference in having their best player is clear when looking at the run from 2010 to 2012.
The 2014-15 version of the Bulls is the best collection of talent Thibodeau has ever had, and the current 54.4 home-game winning percentage puts them on pace for a 22-19 tally at the United Center. This number is a definite head-scratcher.
It is a very different story when playing in someone else’s arena. The Bulls are 16-6 in the role of the visiting team. If Chicago was as competent at home as they have been on the road, they would be 33-12 and trailing only the Hawks in the conference standings.
To play Pollyanna with these figures, if this inverted success continues, it could lessen the desire to make a hard push for higher postseason seeding. This would allow Thibodeau to focus more on continuing to get the most out of his personnel.
One can only hope the road wins continue to come as the home-court kinks work themselves out.
Derrick Rose Is Gradually Turning a Corner
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Above all other things, the Bulls don’t have a shot at attaining NBA immortality without their superstar.
Rose is averaging 18 points and five assists per game. Take away his 10-game 2013-14 stint, and those are the lowest postings since his rookie season. Yet there are some who are still wondering when he’s going to show up.
Despite essentially playing for the first time in two years, expectations for Rose have been remarkably high. While the season up to this point has been an acclimation process, there are some strong signs he is starting to come around.
Out of the 13 games in which the former Memphis Tiger has played in January, he has managed to put up at least 17 points on all but two occasions. He’s had five games where he’s scored at least 20, including 32 against the Washington Wizards. He also put up consecutive points/assists double-doubles against the Boston Celtics and the Hawks.
Rose has been well aware of his shortcomings, as well as the criticisms, in this second comeback. In a December 10 article by Mike Singer of CSNChicago.com, the former MVP made it known he is working towards a long-term goal and isn’t getting too down on what happens game to game. "Y’all the ones that’s gonna be surprised by the way I’m playing. Just give me a little minute…I know where I’m gonna be. I know how good I am. I’m very confident with my craft and how good I am.”
Teammates, coaches and Rose himself have been very patient this season. That placidity looks like it’s beginning to pay off. Even if the team hasn’t been the model of constancy, Rose’s unwavering confidence is an encouraging sign. His coming along may be happening at a slower pace than many might want, but the only thing that really matters is if he has it together by April.
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